7 for the '70s

I've just run 31 miles this week--the most I've ever run in a week, and my legs are tired. My mind, on the other hand, is fresh. So here goes a post that's been percolating for a few weeks--my top songs from the '70s.

The Ballad of El Goodo--Big Star. This might be one of the most perfect songs ever made. Find it and just try to wear it out. I dare you.

Life on Mars--David Bowie. Sometimes Bowie sounds flat to me. Not his pitch. It's the production. This is an exception. Listen to the crisp piano and the echo of the snare. Perfect. I love the line about "linens on sale again." Oh and I almost forgot that scientific query, "Is there life on Mars?"

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road--Elton John. I love that Bernie and Elton write sounds about famous people. My daughters love the Wizard of Oz, and I like it alright myself. The real kicker however is the AAH AAAH AAAAHS.

Maybe I'm Amazed--The Faces. Rod Stewart really knows how to sing others' songs. This is a Paul McCartney song by the way. I love the dirty guitar and the keyboard. This is a live version, Wellz, so take note. I don't hate all live recordings. This one is actually superior to the studio version.

Instant Karma--John Lennon. I was obsessed with all things Beatles for a long time. I still here a Beatles' song on mixtapes or commercials, and I can't deny that they really are top drawer. One thing I learned from my obsession is that John Lennon always wanted to write a song using the 3 note melody from 3 blind mice, and here it is in all its glory. "We all shine on."

Going to California--Led Zeppelin. This is the other band that I was obsessed with. From 7th to 9th grade I could sing all the lyrics and even hum the guitar solos. I started playing guitar because of Jimmy Page, and, if I ever did anything that might be classified as crazy, it was Led Zeppelin's fault. I know this song isn't very representative of the band, and my feelings toward California are tepid at best, but this song really makes me feel all '70s and shi@.

Shine a Light--The Rolling Stones. My first Stones' album was Exile. When choosing favorites, first impressions usually hold a lot of pull for me. I know it did with the Stones. It probably doesn't hurt that this is one of the greatest albums around. I won't say much more. In fact, let's fade into some kind of montage.

The Best of My Guilty Pleasure

This is a confessional. I'm a sucker for Romantic Comedies--Chick Flicks. My wife knows, and she's alright with it. So here are 5 of my favorites:

Annie Hall--Woody Allen kills me. Anyone who would cast himself as the bumbling idiot more than once is OK with me. This movie is funny, Jim Carrey. Alvey, that's Woody's character, claims that the only cultural advantage that California has over New York is thd fact that a person can turn right on a red light. Oh, and to all you vintage Disney freaks, Alvey's good friend is the guy from The Million Dollar Duck.

50 First Dates--People say I look like Adam Sandler. He's funny not handsome. Nonetheless, this movie helps me come to grips with the fact that I just might look like him. Plus as Wellz says, "It's the locale." I'm a sucker for islands. The soundtrack has some nice '80s covers.

High Fidelity--This one's based on the book by Nick Hornby, which has moments and emotions that seem to nicked straight from my life. It's all about music, arguing about what's cool and what isn't. Another nice soundtrack. Jack Black plays a sidekick music snob that makes me laugh. Jack Black is an actor I want to hate but still haven't found a reason yet.

Bringing Up Baby--This is an old film--black and white if I remember right--starring my favorite actor, Cary Grant. My wife says I have a genre of joke that I just use the crap out of, and I just realized that it's stolen from Cary Grant. This is a classic. It's a usual on best-films-of-all-time lists.

Notting Hill--Romantic Comedies would probably be a long forgotten genre if it weren't for Hugh Grant. I think I have a man crush. This movie makes me love people. Worth the price of admission if just to see his roommate and corroborate ST's claim that Julia Roberts doesn't have one of those dimples between her nose and lips.

Well, I'm keeping my posting goal and ran the last of 30 miles for the week. I'm reading a poem or 2 a week from John Berryman's Dream Songs and continuing to dive, a finger at a time, into Spanish literature. Until next time. Vis.

5 Places I Just Gotta Go

I know you guys aren't expecting a post this soon. So I won't count on a response for another week or so. Anyway, as the title states, I'm going to write about 5 places I really want to go, in no particular order.


Savusavu, Fiji--I've been to Fiji 3 times, to 4 different islands, and Savusavu is, by far, my favorite. There's a song about Savusavu the koro wananavu--basically Savusavu the cool village. There is a curry shop, The Harbor Cafe, at the south end of town that has the best curry I have ever tasted, ever. My friend Tora and I called it The Curry Cap. That alone is enough to want to visit again. It doesn't compare, however, to the view that you have coming down into Savusavu as you drive from Labasa. God's Country. No related book.


Mediterranean Coast of Spain (Barcelona and Valencia)--This is the part of Spain that is responsible for Paella--something akin to and, perhaps the ancestor of, Jambalaya. It is also home to 2 of the greatest soccer clubs in the world, FC Barcelona and Valencia CF. Another side note: this part of Spain was a thorn in Franco's side and leans a little to the left. Right now, as I'm typing, if I could go anywhere it would be this part of Spain to practice my Spanish and learn Catalan. Related book--Barca by Jimmy Burns.


La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina--This is another soccer trip. I love Boca Juniors. They are based in a barrio full of color called La Boca. It was a hotbed for immigrants from Genoa, Italy. Have you ever tried Gnochi? It's big in Argentina and mighty tasty. Plus, River Plate v. Boca Juniors is thought by many to be the greatest soccer rivalry in the world. La mitad mas uno. Related book--Rayuela (Hopscotch in English) by Julio Cortazar.


Tuscaloosa, Alabama--My Paternal Grandparents are from Alabama. They were sharecroppers. So for me this is nostalgic. I am very sensitive to the differences and similarities between places that share points on the compass--The South, The West, The North, The East. I am particularly drawn to The South. I would like to go to school at the University of Alabama, just one of the checkpoints on my Follow Forrest to Happiness Tour. I'm putting it in writing right here, right now; The Crimson Tide have the best uniforms in all of sports. And remember, The Stars Fell on Alabama. Related book--To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.


Angel Stadium, California--I don't like Southern California, but I'm intrigued by the palms, the ugliness, the traffic, the Spanish names, and the greatest baseball player of the last decade--Super Vlad. At heart, I'm a fan of the national league style of baseball. But, there's nothing like a huge Dominican sending a bounced pitch over fence, hobbling around the bases like his legs are asleep, and throwing an overexcited runner out from the right field wall. Related book--Ask The Dust by John Fante.

Talkin' Costumes For Bob Dylan's Birthday Bash Blues

Update: I ran 5 times last week, turning in my best 5k time to date--25:28--read "El Inmortal" by Jorge Luis Borges in Spanish to knock out my short reading and language goals, and am writing a few days late on my blog. I'll have to post again this week to try and catch up.

Now to the post. I've heard of people having parties with a Bob Dylan theme. Everyone chooses a character from a Bob Dylan song and dresses in kind. Awards may be given: Best Costume, Most Creative, Most Obscure, etc. So as I was putting my Bob Dylan collection on my computer today, I thought that it may be fun to choose 5 of my favorite songs and see if I could squeeze 10 characters out of them. So here it goes.

1. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"--An orphan with a gun, crying in the sun; An empty-handed painter, drawing crazy patterns on sheets. Probably 3 or 4 others.

2. "Ballad of a Thin Man"--The geek that asks "How does it feel to be such a freak?" and hands out bones; A lawyer that discusses lepers and crooks; Mr. Jones, who knows something is happening but doesn't know what it is. Probably 4 or 5 others.

3. "Visions of Johanna"--Louise with a handful of rain, tempting you to defy it; The night watchman, clicking his flashlight asking whether it's him or them that's insane; The Ghost of 'lectricity; Mona Lisa with the highway blues. There are others.

4. "Million Dollar Bash"--Big Dumb Blonde's friend with his checks all forged; Silly Nellie, telling a yarn.

5. "Isis"--Isis; A friendly archaeologist.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Bob Dylan's birthday is May 24th. It would be very cool to compile a list of possible characters and the songs they come from, then spread the list around and have people sign up for a character. Finally, we'll have a big birthday bash with food and drink, possibly a band, and just have a nice time. Now, I realize this might take a little more thought and research than some are willing to put in, but if it sounds like a good idea, let me know. We still have 4 months to plan.